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About Us

Our mission is to improve the quality of life of women and their communities in Kenya and Tanzania by providing secondary education scholarships for bright girls with no means of paying secondary school fees.

95% of money donated for Africa goes to Africa. If required, the remaining 5% is used for organizational costs. However… we are often able to send 100% of our sponsorships funds to Africa as fundraisers often provide enough money to cover other expenses

CHES is a non-profit organization without affiliation to government or religious organizations.

Our history

CHES was founded in 1985 by a young Canadian teacher who ran a school in East Africa and was struck by how hungry her female students were to learn. Children would even steal or turn to prostitution to raise money for their tuition. When she returned to Canada, she set up the Canadian Harambee Education Society.

CHES operated solely in Kenya until, in 1992, it accepted the request of people in a rural and subsistence area of Tanzania to run a twin programme in this neigbouring country. Since its start, CHES has subsidized the educations of several thousands of girls. Many have gone on to professional careers in medicine, research, accounting, education, engineering, technical and trades.

When funds are available, CHES provides workshops to assist students in what is usually a very big jump from shamba to boarding school. Over the years, these have included English language tutoring, HIV/aids, body care and self-worth programs, math seminars, ‘say no to sexual interference’, study skills and others, tailored to needs.

CHES has created larger projects to assist with the infrastructure of education: dormitories, computer rooms, labratories, improving water and solar power supplies, supporting elementary school programmes so more marginalized Tanzanian girls will have the basic educational training required to attend secondary school as well as a post-secondary work experience centre in Tanzania.

Larger projects are funded in many ways. Individual donations, a golf tournament in Vancouver, a gala sponsored by the UBC International Students Association, private fundraising dinners in Saskatoon and Regina, school classes and entire schools in various areas of Canada, bequests in wills, books written by authors in Victoria and Montreal, greeting cards painted by a CHES director, and targeted donations by individuals and groups. If you can imagine a fundraiser, CHES has a good purpose for the funds.